It has been a long time coming, but in two weeks, I start the final two classes for my bachelor’s degree in IT, Application Development, and Enterprise Development using J2EE.
When I started this degree plan five years ago, at my 15-year mark in the Air Force, I decided to only do one class at a time, so as not to burn myself out between work and school. In retrospect, I should have taken more than one at a time. Over the years I got burnt out anyway, not from the amount of school work, but from how long it was taking to finish. The finish line, never really seemed to get closer, it was only a distant dream for so very long.
During my last year in the military, I decided to take time off school to focus on my retirement. After I did my retirement ceremony, after I started my internship, and after I finally got settled into my civilian job, I decided to commit to two classes at a time so I could finish in the Spring of 2024. I am so happy to have stuck with that commitment because I am so close to finishing. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel!
Last year, I wanted to get my CompTIA Security+ certification, but that didn’t end up happening. Between work, restarting college classes, and not fully committing myself to studying, it fell to the side. Guess what? I’m committing to getting this certification by June 2024. Previously, I didn’t want to spend money on study material, and I also think that had a hand in my commitment issues, as I didn’t think I had anything to lose. Not this time, I purchased study material including a subscription to to ITProTV.com from ACI Learning. Their videos, practice tests, and labs, not to mention the money I spent, I believe will motivate me to finally attain this certification.
Hopefully, the next six months will see me not only with a BS in Information Technology but also a CompTIA Security+ certification. I’ll keep you posted on progress.